Shirley Bassey
Never,Never,Never

Gold In The Shade’s 'Over You' is backed with 'Shining Through'. Rough, tough, straight-from-the-heart ‘90s street soul, coming courtesy of TSR bossman Robert Roper and the Gold In The Shade ladies Arletta Davis and Sonia Johnson. One of the most sought-after cuts of this scene, it encompasses much of what made street soul special - heavy bass, gritty breaks, emotive chords and off-kilter vocals, marrying together to form a snapshot of a raw DIY scene with optimism at its heart.The trio’s first single from 1990, ‘Shining Through’ is a no nonsense, bassbin-rattling love song from the underground, seeing long-term friends Sonia and Arletta pulling on the heartstrings from the mic as Robert works his magic behind the studio controls.Lovingly remastered from the DAT by Cicely Balston, if only ‘Over You’ had been so easy. Two years of endless searching for the tape and subsequently a clean copy of the record, Heels & Souls even went to the lengths of having the multitracks restored so that Robert could attempt to recreate the original mixdown in the studio – but the magic of ‘91, unfortunately, can’t simply be conjured at the drop of a hi-hat.After all but losing hope, Sean P (by way of Backatcha’s Aiden Leacy), came to the rescue with a mint condition copy of the record that he had from running in the same circles as Robert and Duval back in the day, ripping and restoring it with a precision he’s rightly famed for. And so (finally!) here it is: distorted samples, low-fi hits, speaker rumbling bassweight and all. Raw to the core, but that’s the point – pure, unbridled emotion from the depths of North West London.

The sole album released in 1974 from this almighty group of nine musicians lead by Chicago native Danny Leake continues to turn up in the hands of the most determined collectors for good reason. Formed in the most unlikely of circumstances as a group of American military workers stationed in Germany, the band made one dazzling leap onto the frontline of soul before promptly disbanding and never looking back. As with all records that get marked with the coveted 'rare' status, what we don't know about the record outweighs what we do, but as the needle fits the groove on album opener "You Keep Coming Back," and the vocal and instrumental harmonies build into a frenzy, the addictive joy of the record takes hold for repeated listens. P-vine is delighted to be bringing this album back from the vaults for a limited pressing fitted with a unique Japanese obi strip.After the opener rich with soul, "No More City, No More Country" changes pace with a psychedelic funk jam that blossoms into a piece of spiritual jazz and social commentary of 70s America. "Windy C" is an album highlight and kicks off the B-side with a lost funk classic where the individual talents of Steve Maxwell's organ playing, Leake's guitar and John Jackson's percussion all combine to make the deftest of touches count. The wealth of compositional talent behind the album contributes to its varied sound, and the might behind Marvin Daniels' vocals and trumpet playing joins Leake on the songwriting credits with producer Rick Hartung. Leake would later make his name as the trusted sound engineer of Stevie Wonder, but his roots as the mythical bandleader of 100% Pure Poison lives on in the books of rare record folklore.